


Love Story

by Doitlikeagreaser



Category: Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types
Genre: 5+1 Things, Bad Parenting, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, First Meetings, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Insecurity, Love Confessions, M/M, Mercutio in Drag, Mercutio is Escalus's Son, Misunderstandings, Nicknames, POV Benvolio, Questioning, References to Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet References, Romeo is a stupid heterosexual, Sneaking Out, Social Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-23
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22852843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doitlikeagreaser/pseuds/Doitlikeagreaser
Summary: Benvolio met Mercutio at a party when they were just thirteen. Since then, a wonderful friendship has bloomed. Benvolio, however, can't help but hope for something else despite his mind telling him it's hopeless.(Or: Five things that discourage Benvolio from his romantic feelings towards Mercutio and one thing that doesn't.)
Relationships: Benvolio Montague & Romeo Montague, Escalus & Mercutio (Romeo And Juliet), Mercutio & Benvolio Montague, Mercutio & Romeo Montague, Mercutio/Benvolio Montague
Comments: 4
Kudos: 48





	Love Story

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, this is being posted for a friend! Feedback is much appreciated, but I encourage you, dear reader, to keep it positive/constructive! Thank you!

They were both young when they first saw each other. The Montagues were hosting a beautiful party, and they invited the royal family, because after all, what is a masquerade without the royal family present? Benvolio was about thirteen years old at the time. He wasn't too big a fan of large crowds, so he started the night with his mask pulled down over his face, resting his head on the balcony. 

His eleven-year-old cousin, Romeo was busy trying to offer a dance to a little girl, but she turned him away. He had tried to offer her flowers, but had tripped and dropped them everywhere. Part of Benvolio was itching to help him, but his parents were already handling the situation. The other part was burning with jealousy that Romeo had parents, and wasn't left to be taken in by his aunt and uncle. 

“Hello. Are you lonely?” a voice asked him from his left. Standing next to him was a little boy, probably his age, though looked a little older. He was wearing a mask that was partly hidden by a large quantity of dark hair. Benvolio shrugged, not planning to talk to anyone that night. “Do you mind if I join you?” Another shrug. “Can you talk?”

“Yes,” Benvolio mumbled, the first thing he had said all night. He looked a little closer at his companion, trying to decide if he knew him. Guess not.

The other boy stuck out his hand, bowing. “I'm Mercutio, son of Prince Escalus.”

Benvolio nearly fell on his face trying to bow lower. “Your Highness, I'm Benvolio of the house of Montague.”

Mercutio bent down to look his new friend in the face. “No need for bowing and stuff. I'd actually prefer you didn't, since I get that everywhere else.”

Benvolio stood up straight again, and Mercutio grinned. “Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you--”

“No harm done, Bennie,” Mercutio replied, then stopped. “You don't mind that I called you that, right?”

Benvolio felt in his soul that anyone else calling him that would've bothered him immensely, but the way Mercutio said it... “It's fine.”

“Well then, I guess I'll call you that,” Mercutio replied, sitting on the balcony as if he wasn't deathly afraid of falling backward into the pricker bushes below, “Do you know the little kid running around asking everyone single woman in here to dance?”

“About up to my shoulder? Blond hair? That would be my little cousin Romeo.”

“That kid is going to be the next lover of Verona, I promise you,” Mercutio said as a tall man wearing a mask came over and caught him.

“What did I tell you before? Don't go around associating with other people if you don't have to,” The Prince scolded him. 

“Father!” Mercutio whined, “You never let me make friends with children my age!”

“Because you're a terrible influence, that's why,” the Prince replied, looking at Benvolio with a frown, “Stay away from this boy. We're going home.”

As the Prince pulled Mercutio away from him--Mercutio was protesting immensely, but having wheels embedded in the heel of one's shoe does not make for good traction--Benvolio followed quietly behind them as the went down the stairs, then sat down, burying his face in his arms. He wasn't sure why he wanted a complete stranger to stay sitting next to him, on the balcony and call him a nickname he had never had. Was he flirting with him? 

“Please don't go,” He whispered to himself. He couldn't understand why on earth he wanted to just be alone with Mercutio, just talking and getting to know each other better. Wasn't he supposed to prefer spending time with women? Apparently not. 

* * *

Later that night, Benvolio was standing at his balcony, thinking about Mercutio. It wasn't like he didn't want to see him again, perhaps as normal, not hiding behind masks and riding the high of the party. He wished he could just spend some time with him, not have to worry about the adults caring, then suddenly realized he was talking out loud. 

"Why must you be a prince? Anything else would be fine." He sighed, not believing that he could possibly be thinking this about someone he barely knew, a boy nonetheless. "If we could just run away, a place where nobody would actually care--" There was rustling in the bushes down below. "What's that? Who's there?"

"Hello, my friend," said a familiar voice from the bush, and Mercutio crawled out, leaves sticking out of his dark hair and a bright smile on his face. He was much more handsome without the mask on. 

"What are you doing here?" Benvolio nearly shouted in surprise, then whispered, looking inside frantically, "You know there are other people in this house who might hear you."

"Do with me what they may, I just wanted to see you again," Mercutio said dramatically, climbing up onto the balcony and seating himself on the railing. "You know, your family has a lovely garden at night. Want to see?"

"I can't go out there, I'm wearing nightclothes, and my aunt and uncle would never let me out of the house at night, the vapors and everything," Benvolio stammered, self-consciously folding his arms over himself. 

"You can't if you tell them," Mercutio said, raising his eyebrows.

"You're not suggesting that I go out there like this?" Benvolio answered uneasily, though the idea did sound thrilling. 

Mercutio grabbed his hand. "It'll take just a few minutes, I promise. The moon is lovely."

Benvolio didn't protest, partially because he had given up, and partially because he didn't want Mercutio to let go of his hand. "Fine, but we're dead if they find out, got it?"

His roguish companion waved off the idea as if he had thought of it all beforehand. He helped Benvolio slip between the bars of the railing, then led him through the garde, showing him the newly fallen dew shining on the leaves, illuminated by the moon. 

"It's beautiful," Benvolio breathed, not noticing that Mercutio had put an arm over his shoulders and pulled him closer when he shivered a little. 

"Ready to go back? It's been a few minutes," Mercutio said with a smirk, watching Benvolio marvelling at the wonder of nature.

Benvolio turned to face him. Now he realized that he was in the middle of a hug. "Well... I guess I could stay a little longer... we just have to be back before the sun rises." 

Mercutio grinned. "You don't mind being out here, then?"

"I mean, I'm still worried that we're going to get caught out here, But I guess it's alright if I'm not alone," Benvolio explained, shrugging as much as he could with someone's arm around him. 

They woke up at the crack of dawn, curled up under a tree. Benvolio had said he was getting a little tired, and Mercutio had offered him a seat. They had never gotten up as they were far too busy talking about nonsense before later fell asleep. 

Mercutio had woke up first, and nudged his friend. "Hey, wake up. You need to go back inside, right?" Benvolio was still in his dreams, and just snuggled closer to the heat source, which happened to be Mercutio's chest. "Bennie..." he nudged him again, and Benvolio sleepily yawned and blinked. 

"What time is it?" he mumbled, still not getting up. 

"The sun's rising, so I would guess about five," Mercutio said, and suddenly Benvolio jumped up with a start, then his head caught up with him and he stumbled into the tree. Mercutio caught him, laughing. "Slow down, you're going to get yourself killed."

"Easy for you to say," Benvolio groaned, resting his head on his shoulder, "I bet you haven't had someone up behind you all the time making sure you're a good influence on your little cousin." 

"I've wondered about your cousin, Romeo, was it?" Mercutio said, looking back towards the house, "Seems like a nice kid." 

"If you only knew how insufferable having to take care of him is," Benvolio replied, "He seems to want to get married by the time he's fifteen. But I always have to take care of him when my aunt and uncle are out."

"I could help take care of him, if you want," Mercutio offered, "We could spend time together, the three of us. Two people, one target, catching him will be easy."

"Really?" Benvolio asked, referring to his offer to take some of the responsibilities. "Would you?"

"Of course," Mercutio said as they walked towards the house again. He gave Benvolio a lift back onto the balcony, then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "You may call upon me anytime, Bennie, and I will oblige." 

Benvolio just watched him leave the same way he came with a look of shock on his face. Even though he had spent nearly the entire night by his side, he wasn't sure, again, if he was really ready for him to go. 

* * *

As promised, Mercutio did help Benvolio take care of Romeo, and they all became quite good friends. The only thing Benvolio felt he could do without from Mercutio's care was that he was teaching Romeo all sorts of stunts, such as wearing shoes that had wheels in the heel. It was him who actually answered, in great detail, the inevitable question that all parents shy away from, including Lord and Lady Montague. When Benvolio found out about it, he didn't speak to him for two days, though only two, because he could never keep himself mad at Mercutio for long. 

Although... after a while, Benvolio began feeling more envy for Romeo. Mercutio seemed to tell him things that he hadn't told Benvolio, and would trust him with certain secrets, and together they would pull jokes on Benvolio that would've had them beaten to death, if Benvolio could bring himself to actually do it. All he could think about was if Mercutio brought Romeo to see the garden at night, what that would do to him. Sometimes, when Romeo was off trying to interest a girl and failing, Benvolio would quietly bring up that fear, and Mercutio would hug him and promised that they'd go again sometime, if the moon was right. 

But it never seemed to be. There were nights when the moon wasn't even out and Benvolio nearly went to find Mercutio himself just so they could have some time together without Romeo. A couple of nights went by where he sat under the tree, wondering if he would show up, but he didn't. Eventually, after nearly two years, Benvolio gave up on it. He knew that they would never go back to the garden together, and he and Mercutio would remain as they were now, friends. Which would be fine if that was what Benvolio had wanted. 

Another two years fell away, and Benvolio and Mercutio were both seventeen, and Romeo was fifteen. Lord and Lady Montague were insistent upon Benvolio finding a suitable match for himself, but he would hide away in the library, reading stories and wishing that he didn't feel the way he felt. 

Growing up had been extremely generous to Mercutio, and he was even more handsome than when Benvolio had first met him. Benvolio thought he himself wasn't particularly terrible-looking, but he always figured his blond hair looked like a fluffy duckling's feathers in comparison. 

At one costume party Mercutio he had shown up in a ridiculous costume, and Benvolio could not keep his face from going completely red. As surprising as it seemed, Mercutio actually looked incredibly good a scandalously short skirt, a shining silver wig, a matching cape, translucent thigh-high stockings, long gloves, and a tight... well, no one was really sure what to call it, but it covered part of his torso and was unfit for anyone to lay eyes on. At this point, the Prince gave up. If he was to strut around dressed like that and falling in the highest heels he could find paired with far too much to drink, then that was his problem. 

Romeo tried to dress more like the older boys, and if Benvolio was being honest, Romeo looked like he was standing in a hole dressed up as a knight, but Mercutio had complimented him, and made Benvolio's hair stand on end. He was just wearing a reddened sheet over himself, with a wreath of leaves over his head. He had panicked and decided at the last minute upon dressing as Julius Caesar after he was stabbed. 

Mercutio could barely walk after the party, though claimed later that he could have made it home on his own. With all the carriages about he was sure to stumble into something, so Benvolio offered to help him. He accepted, and Benvolio soon learned that he had signed himself up for Mercutio resting his head on his shoulder, drunkenly babbling something about wanting to marry his best friend, which sent Benvolio's heart into crazy chaos. Was he who Mercutio meant? 

Eventually he completely passed out in the middle of the street, so he had to be carried. Right before he actually fell asleep, however, he looked up at Romeo, set his hand on his shoulder, and announced loudly, "Romeo Montague, you are my best friend, you know that?" 

Benvolio's heart hurt all the way home, carrying his snoring friend and protectively giving him water before getting him into his bed with a hug. He didn't want his hangover to be too terrible. Even though this was hard for Benvolio to hear, he figured that he should face it. Mercutio would end up with Romeo, and there was nothing he could do about it. 

* * *

Finally, one night, Benvolio couldn't take it anymore. He got up from his bed, got dressed, went over the balcony, slipped over the railing, and went into the garden, not caring if he was alone, or if anyone heard him. He sat under the tree and buried his face in his hands. It wasn't fair that he had to just remain unbothered while the person who he was pining after for now four years flirted shamelessly with his younger cousin. He was almost certain that Romeo actually did prefer women, and what did Romeo have that Benvolio didn't? Other than an obsession with girls, or pretty gold hair instead of poufy mouse-brown hair, or was probably more preferable to be around, Benvolio being too quiet and Romeo going out and doing-- 

"What's wrong, Bennie?" a voice asked next to him. Benvolio looked up to see Mercutio leaning against the tree next to him, looking down at him with a certain level of concern. He was rolling his foot back and forth on the ground on his heel, and the wheel squeaked a little. 

"Mercutio?" Benvolio asked, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice. "What--what are you doing here?"

"Well," his friend said, casually pushing his hair out of his face, "The moon was perfect, finally, though I figured you wouldn't want to join me, so--"

"Are you serious?" Benvolio exclaimed, jumping up and putting his hands on his hips. "I keep coming out here, wondering if you would ever come back for me, but you never come around!" His voice was catching in his throat but he was determined to say this. "Then you leave me all alone while you're off flirting with my cousin as if I'm not even there--"

"Flirting? Whoever gave you that idea?" Mercutio replied, the familiar smirk coming back. He seemed amused by the idea, and it made Benvolio angry. 

"Everything," Benvolio replied, as if it were quite obvious. "Are you trying to tell me this is all in my head?"

"Well, what do you think is happening?" Mercutio asked, trying not to laugh, but stopped when he saw Benvolio's face crumpled in his hands. 

"I-I don't know what to think," he answered honestly, trying to sort out his feelings inside his head, and his companion wrapped him up in his arms, sitting back against the tree.

"Well, I don't know what you were thinking, but I do know that Romeo Montague is not the Montague I'm in love with." 

Benvolio sat up, looking him in the eyes. "What do you mean?" 

Mercutio crouched in front of Benvolio, eyes lighting up. "Benvolio, I've been talking with your cousin about you. I've been asking him about what you like--you appear to like things that sparkle a lot more than he does--where you like to go--I hope you've noticed a trend of library visits recently--and if he thought you might actually like a crazy boy like me." Mercutio smiled as Benvolio's whole face lit up and his eyes sparkled. 

"Really? You like me?" he gasped, hugging his friend tightly. 

"Why wouldn't I? You're the only thing keeping me from getting myself killed," Mercutio replied, and Benvolio pushed him gently. "Hey! I'm not asking you to marry me, though I wouldn't particularly mind."

"So..." Benvolio wasn't exactly sure where this was going, but he sort of liked it anyway. "Is this the part of the story where... the prince gets his princess? If this was in a book?"

"I suppose so, if you wish it to be so," Mercutio nodded after a moment of consideration. "Which one's the prince, do you think?"

"I guess you are, if you would like," Benvolio suggested, figuring that would work, but Mercutio looked mildly disappointed. "Why, do you want to be the princess?"

"What? Dresses are comfortable," Mercutio said with a shrug. "And I thought you wouldn't want to be one."

"As long as you're my prince, I don't care," Benvolio sighed, resting his head on Mercutio's shoulder. "This is like a real love story."

"Who says it isn't?" Mercutio said, smiling. "All you have to do is say yes, and you've got me for the rest of your life."

"Yes." Benvolio replied happily, pulling him into a kiss. 


End file.
